Even after gut-wrenching Game 7 loss, Boston Celtics have NBA Finals in their future

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, where LeBron James added another chapter to his legacy by leading the Cavaliers past the Celtics in Boston.
USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after a foul during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game seven of the Eastern conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.(Photo: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics will play in the NBA Finals soon. Maybe as soon as a year from now.

Playing without All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the postseason, the Celtics took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals while relying on a 20-year-old rookie forward in Jayson Tatum and a 21-year-old second-year guard in Jaylen Brown.

No one would’ve criticized the Celtics, given their injuries and inexperience, had they lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks. But they won that series and bulldozed through Philadelphia and had LeBron James and the Cavs on the ropes at 2-0 and 3-2 in the conference finals.

“It was pretty incredible run by an incredible group of guys, and an absolute pleasure and privilege to be around them every day,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the Cavs won Game 7 87-79 on Sunday.

“I talked about how the pain is part of the path. We've been really fortunate to continuously get better the last couple of years and put ourselves in better positions. But when it ends it's painful, that is part of the path. And so we have to let it motivate us.”

Stevens and the Celtics hurt after falling short of the NBA Finals, but their future is undeniable. They will get a healthy Irving, Hayward and Daniel Theis back for next season, and in the NBA, a team can never have too much talent.

The Celtics have decisions to make in the offseason, and they don’t have salary cap space. Marcus Smart, a bulldog of a defender and competitor, is a restricted free agent. The two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on a contract extension before the season began, and teams will be interested in prying him from Boston – because they want his services and they want to deplete some of that talent on that roster.

And you never know what calculating president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will do in the draft, trades and free agency.

“You just don’t know what opportunities present themselves,” Ainge told reporters on Monday. “But I like this group of guys, and we’re not looking to make changes other than just small tweaks here and there to our roster. We really do like this core group of guys, and we have all year.”

James raved about Tatum, a star in the making whose potential was on full display in the playoffs.

“I just love everything about the kid – the way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he comes from,” James said. “I know his parents. I just know he's just built for stardom. He's built for success. And that's both on and off the floor.”

Said Stevens: “He can get a lot better. That's the fun part. I think there are so many little things that he'll continue to improve upon, but he's not afraid. He's tough-minded, and obviously has a special talent for putting the ball in the basket.”

When healthy and with continued improvement from young players, the Celtics are a Finals team.

“I could take a couple of days to kind of get away from it, but training camp can't come soon enough,” Stevens said. “Those will be some fun practices, I'm pretty sure.”